New World, a hidden island.
In the largest office of the World Economic Journal.
Morgans cradled a huge bucket of caramel popcorn, lounging on the sofa as if watching a movie, occasionally tossing a few pieces into his mouth with great relish.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
At the climax, Morgans couldn't contain his excitement, flapping his wings with laughter, heedless of the popcorn scattering across the floor.
"This is truly a super headline! No, it should be called the news story of the year! That man certainly didn't disappoint me!"
Creak~
"Boss, I just received some troubling news. A major incident has erupted in Sabaody."
At that moment, a young assistant pushed open the door, his expression grim.
"But all the firsthand information, including photos and detailed accounts of the scene, has been monopolized by the Sabaody Press... Huh?"
The assistant suddenly froze, staring dumbfounded at the large screen before him.
The footage playing on the screen was none other than the battle between Xiano and Silvers Rayleigh.
"Surprised?"
Morgans grinned at him, then pointed to a stack of photo materials beneath the screen. "Didn't expect that, did you? I had all this under control long ago."
"This..."
The young assistant flipped through the photos, growing increasingly astonished. "So detailed... Are these all firsthand materials? Boss, how did you get your hands on them?"
"Of course they're firsthand! Even this Den Den Mushi is the very Visual Den Den Mushi responsible for the live broadcast at the scene. The recording is stored right inside it!"
Morgans burst into laughter. "Fool! Rookie! I am the news king of these seas! Those small-time newspapers have long been riddled with my informants. They can scrape by with the leftovers, but there's no way they're snatching the meat from my mouth!"
As the industry leader and absolute monopoly, such tactics were only natural!
"Truly worthy of you."
The assistant was genuinely impressed. Suddenly, he came across a photo labeled "Front Page Cover" and hesitated. "Boss, are you really going to use this photo for the cover? Isn't this a bit too... provocative?"
"What's there to fear?"
Morgans chuckled mischievously. "The folks at the Holy Land only warned me not to publish Xiano's crazy rants. They didn't make any requests on behalf of Kizaru, now did they?"
His cooperation was with the World Government. The only ones who could restrict his news were those lofty figures in the Holy Land—not even Marine Headquarters had that authority!
As for the Admirals themselves, each was far too busy to bother with such trivial matters and come knocking on his door, right?
"Go, tell the printing press not to clock out early. They'll be on standby tonight."
He waved his wing, grinning as he gazed out the window in a certain direction. "Now, everything is ready. All that's left is for Marine Headquarters to finalize those new bounties..."
————
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The towering fortress stood silently.
In a dimly lit conference room with tatami flooring, the doors were tightly shut. The air was thick with a musty scent, as if the room hadn't been used in quite some time.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a gust of wind rushed in, causing the corners of several wanted posters on the whiteboard to lift and flutter violently.
These were the wanted posters left over from the previous discussion meeting, not yet taken down.
In the center was a man wearing a captain's hat, with an exaggerated clown-like painted face and a prominent large nose. Beside it was a note from the meeting:
["Thousand Tricks" Buggy, former crew member of Roger's Pirate Crew, original bounty: 80 million Berries]
[After being forced into the Grand Line several years ago, he has generally kept a low profile, seemingly obsessed with digging for treasures everywhere and rarely appearing in public. As a result, Marine Headquarters' attention toward him has decreased.]
[Who would have thought that once the heat died down, he would start stirring again, foolishly daring to actively attack CP9 agents in Spring Queen City, severely injuring three agents and stealing two precious Devil Fruits from the World Government.]
[Therefore, the meeting decided to intensify the pursuit and raise his bounty to 130 million Berries!]
Next to it was another wanted poster, featuring a lion with a purple mane.
[Lion King Liki, original bounty: 200,000 Berries]
[After defeating CP9's elite agent Jabura, he demonstrated a special ability to suppress Zoan-type Devil Fruit users. As a result, his bounty has been raised to 70 million Berries!]
Below were two more wanted posters with much lower bounties and only brief notes.
[First Mate Mochi, Staff Officer Cabaji. After evaluation, their strength is deemed too weak, and no bounty increase is necessary.]
Swish!
The next moment, a large hand reached out.
It tore off these wanted posters, crumpled them into a ball, and casually tossed them into a nearby trash bin before turning on the overhead light.
Under the light, the face of the newcomer was revealed—somewhat gloomy, with grass-green hair and black sunglasses.
—It was Brannew, a senior staff officer of Marine Headquarters.
"Everyone, you may enter now," he said, turning toward the door.
At his words,
Over a dozen figures cloaked in white coats, who had been waiting outside, filed into the conference room one by one. Servants quickly followed, offering them sake and food.
Each of these individuals wore a displeased expression, and most were burly, exuding an imposing aura.
Judging by their shoulder insignias, the lowest rank among them was Rear Admiral, with Vice Admirals making up the majority.
Seated at the front right was a hunched, elderly figure with deep wrinkles—none other than Tsuru, the Chief of Staff of Marine Headquarters!
Under the gaze of so many high-ranking figures, even Brannew, accustomed to presiding over meetings, felt slightly nervous. He cleared his throat and began:
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this meeting. I believe you've all heard rumors about why this meeting is of such high importance…"
"Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point, Brannew," Tsuru interjected, rubbing her temples wearily. "I just returned from a meeting at Mariejois and really don't want to hear again how our Marine Headquarters suffered such a disgrace at Sabaody Archipelago."
"..."
The other high-ranking officers in the room puffed on their cigars, their faces dark and silent.
As Tsuru had implied, it was indeed better to skip over that particular incident...
Admiral candidate Chaton was killed on the spot, the combined fleet of Marine Headquarters' elite forces and the Sabaody Archipelago base was utterly crushed and forced to retreat. Even the subsequent deployment of two active admirals failed to prevent the enemy's escape...
This wasn't just embarrassing!
It dealt a severe blow to the morale of the entire Marine Headquarters.
One could say.
Since the era of the Four Emperors stabilized, Marine Headquarters had never suffered such a humiliating defeat.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Brannew hurriedly saluted.
Skipping all introductions and background explanations, he pulled three bounty posters from the large stack held by his assistant and pinned them onto the whiteboard.
"In short, the agenda of this meeting is to reassess the bounties of the notorious Falling Stars Adventure Pirates! Let's start with those who previously had the lowest bounties!"
"First, this guy!"
Slap!
Brannew's right hand slapped the image of a towering, muscular Fish-man youth with golden hair in the center.
"Epinephelus lanceolatus Fish-man, Jack!"
"His origins are unknown, originally a complete nobody. He likely joined the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates around the time of the Enies Lobby incident. During the recent Sabaody incident, he displayed astonishing combat prowess!"
"At the port, he instantly defeated one of this year's most prominent Supernovas, Sasaki, with a single punch. Later, during the ambush against Kaji, he played a key role in controlling the battlefield. It's fair to say Kaji's tragic death is inextricably linked to him!"
"Intelligence confirms he's a user of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Mammoth Form, possessing Two-Color Haki with exceptionally high physical resilience!"
"Additional intel suggests this guy once clashed with Kaido of the Beasts in the City of Seven Waters. Though the details remain unclear, the fact that he survived an encounter with Kaido speaks volumes about his terrifying strength."
"Based on the above!"
Brannew declared solemnly: "After multiple discussions within the strategy department, 'The Rampaging Elephant' Jack's bounty is finalized at—500 million Berries!"
"500 million Berries?!"
As expected.
This figure immediately sparked hushed murmurs throughout the conference room.
"Isn't that too high for a first-time bounty? Do we really need to prioritize him this much?"
"But his feats are undeniable. Someone who can instantly defeat a Supernova can't be evaluated at the same level as one..."
"Silence."
Tsuru suddenly spoke.
Her voice was soft and frail, yet it instantly silenced the murmuring room, leaving it so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
"One of the main perpetrators behind Kaji's death deserves no less attention. I have no objections to this." Tsuru sighed faintly. "Continue, Brannew."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Brannew pointed to the bounty poster on the right. "Everyone, please focus. Now, the girl I'm pointing at... no! This female demon!"
The photo showed a beautiful orange-haired girl.
Whether due to the camera angle or lighting, she was grinning maniacally, her mouth wide open as she voraciously chewed on a soft, white, fluffy object.
"What is she eating?"
"Can't tell, looks like a cloud."
"Wait, could that be..." Vice Admiral Momonga frowned.
"Correct!"
Brannew's expression turned grave as he placed an older bounty poster beside it.
The image above depicted Nuomici of the "Blazing White Puff," with a bounty of 100 million Berries. However, the photo was grayed out and stamped with a large red cross, indicating that this wanted poster had been revoked.
"Admiral Momonga guessed correctly. She consumed the Flame-Flame Fruit—Nuomici, the pet and a key executive of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates!"
Brannew took a deep breath and spoke gravely:
"Previously, our intelligence division made an error. Simply because this girl appeared young, we overlooked her inherently vicious nature. But now, we must reassess her level of danger!"
"Based on eyewitness reports from Sabaody Archipelago and our intelligence division's analysis of recorded footage..."
"This girl demonstrated the Flame-Flame Fruit's power when facing Vice Admiral Kaji's Justice Assault. She used Elemental Transformation to narrowly escape death and exploited the Logia-type's invulnerability against foes without Haki to effortlessly defeat the Supernova Garette at the docks!"
"Meanwhile, Nuomici was nowhere to be found throughout the incident. In her place was an utterly ordinary puppy with no special traits. Comparing this with the submitted photo, we can almost conclude..."
"This girl named Nami, like her brother Xiano, is a vile, inhuman scum devoid of conscience!"
"She... most likely obtained Nuomici's Flame-Flame Fruit ability through some horrifically cruel method!"
The conference room erupted in shock!
"You're saying she devoured her own comrade... just to steal their power?!"
A Marine Rear Admiral wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Such a method exists? I've never heard of anything like it!"
"The seas hold many secrets unknown to us. Rumor has it the Dark-Dark Fruit has similar effects, so there's no need to be overly surprised. What concerns me more is—this demonic woman could slaughter even her closest companion without hesitation?"
Another Rear Admiral narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "How despicable. Even among Pirates, such acts are considered contemptible..."
"The strategy division shares this view."
Brannew nodded solemnly and continued:
"Given her utterly malicious and cruel nature, combined with the inherent threat posed by a Logia-type ability user, it's difficult to justify assigning her a bounty lower than Nuomici's."
"Therefore, the entire strategy division unanimously approved a resolution to change her epithet to 'Pet-Eating Demon' and raise her bounty by two thousand times—setting it at 160 million Berries!"
No one questioned this bounty figure.
Forget defeating a Supernova—just the words "Flame-Flame Fruit user" alone justified the price.
Still, some officers wondered—raised by two thousand times? Just how low was this demonic woman's original bounty...?
"Next—the Demon Child, Nico Robin!"
Brannew glared at the photo on the left with disgust. "The last survivor of Ohara, a woman who sank multiple warships at the age of eight. She remains high on the World Government's priority watchlist. At some point, she joined forces with the Curtain Closers. Hmph. I suppose demons really do attract each other, don't they?"
"The individual in question has demonstrated formidable combat prowess during this incident, utilizing Armament Haki in conjunction with Devil Fruit abilities to defeat the Supernova Haruta. As such, the original bounty of 79 million Berries no longer reflects their true strength!"
"After special consultation with the World Government, their new bounty has been set at 260 million Berries!"
The last survivor of Ohara...
Among the assembled high-ranking officers, expressions varied. Tsuru glanced at Robin's wanted poster before shifting her gaze away, remaining silent.
"Next, we have the other officers. After evaluation, their strength has also improved, though not to the same extent as the previous three."
Brannew had his assistant assist with posting the bounties while he took out a slender wooden pointer and went through them one by one:
"Xiano's other sister, 'Winter Fist' Nojiko, also a Logia-type ability user, excels in close combat. Her bounty has been raised to 200 million Berries!"
"'Red Leg' Zeff, a rather low-profile figure who seems to have fully transitioned to a support role. However, as a founding member, his strength should not be underestimated. His bounty has been increased to 150 million Berries!"
"Next is 'Defecting Hunter' Smoker—a familiar face to many... His proficiency in Two-Color Haki appears to have improved, necessitating a bounty increase to 210 million Berries!"
"Then, the pet, 'Thunder Wolf' Agin. New bounty: 250 million Berries!"
"The other pet, Nuomici, has been confirmed deceased. The original bounty is revoked. The new pet is an ordinary puppy with a provisional bounty of 1,000 Berries, though it likely won't survive long..."
"Finally, the Vice-Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, who shone brightest in this incident—Master Swordsman Kuina!"
Brannew signaled his assistant to post the last one. "Please direct your full attention here!"
Snap!
The high-ranking officers looked up solemnly, only to be met with a close-up frame of Admiral Kizaru's face contorted from a kick.
Tsuru shot a glance at Brannew.
"Apologies! Wrong one!" The assistant hastily bowed in apology.
Under Brannew's murderous glare, he hurriedly removed the photo and replaced it with the correct bounty poster.
(End of Chapter)